Translingual

Han character

機 (radical 75 木+12, 16 strokes, cangjie input 木女戈戈 (DVII), four-corner 4295₃, composition ⿰木幾)

Descendants

• き
• キ

References

• KangXi: page 554, character 8
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 15561
• Dae Jaweon: page 942, character 20
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 2, page 1298, character 4
• Unihan data for U+6A5F

Chinese

Glyph origin

Phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *kɯl) : semantic 木 + phonetic 幾 ‎(OC *kɯl, *kɯlʔ, *ɡɯl, *ɡɯls).

Pronunciation

Definitions

機

1. weaving machine; spinning machine
2. machine; apparatus; device
3. Short for 飛機 (“aircraft”).
4. mechanism; process
5. cause; reason
6. secret; confidential (affair)
7. opportunity; chance; crucial point
8. plan; idea
9. flexible; quick-witted

Compounds

Japanese

Kanji

(grade 4 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• Goon: け (ke)
• Kan’on: き (ki)
• Kun: はた (hata), こぶち (kobuchi), おり (ori), わかつり (wakatsuri)

Compounds

Usage notes

Often used interchangeably in compounds with 器 ‎(ki) to indicate “machine”, with the distinction that 機 implies a larger machine, such as an airplane, while 器 implies a smaller device, possibly hand-held. Compare 飛行機 ‎(hikōki, “airplane”) with 食器 ‎(shokki, “tableware”).

Alternative forms

機 has many ryakuji (handwritten abbreviations), as it is a common character with many strokes (16):

• A phono-semantic simplification from on'yomi of “ki” (katakana キ): 木 + キ (semantic plus simplified phonetic) – compare for 議 and for 魔/摩.
• Graphical simplification.
• Graphical simplification.
• Graphical simplification.

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese 機 ‎(kjɨj, “mechanism”). Compare modern Min Nan reading ki.

Pronunciation

• On'yomi: Kan'on
• (Tokyo) き​ [kíꜜ] (Atamadaka - [1])^[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [kʲi]

Noun

機 ‎(hiragana き, romaji ki)

1. a machine, a device; a contraption
2. a loom
3. an opportunity, a chance to do something; the right time or moment
4. something of great importance: the linchpin of the matter
5. resourcefulness
6. (Buddhism) the moment of being moved into action by the teachings of the Buddha: see 機根 ‎(kikon)
7. by extension, the workings of the heart or mind in general
8. in Noh theater, the breath of the mind
9. short for 飛行機 ‎(hikōki): an airplane, an aircraft
10. short for 機関銃 ‎(kikanjū): a machine gun

Idioms

Etymology 2

Alteration from こうべうち ‎(kōbeuchi),^[3] itself a compound of 首 ‎(kōbe, “head”) + 打ち ‎(uchi, “striking, hitting”).^[3][1]

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• (Tokyo) こぶち [kòbúchí] (Heiban - [0])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [ko̞bɯᵝt͡ɕi]

Alternative forms

• 首打

Noun

機 ‎(hiragana こぶち, romaji kobuchi)

1. a trap or snare that works by beheading the bird or beast caught in it

Etymology 3

From onomatopoeic はた ‎(hata), possibly for the sound of the shuttle running back and forth, or for the sound of a woven cloth moving in the wind, compare 旗 ‎(hata, “a flag”).

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• (Tokyo) はた​ [hàtáꜜ] (Odaka - [2])^[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [ha̠ta̠]

Noun

機 ‎(hiragana はた, romaji hata)

1. a loom
2. woven cloth

Etymology 4

The 連用形 ‎(ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 機る ‎(wakatsuru, “to manipulate something”),^[3] itself an alteration of 誘る ‎(okotsuru, “to manipulate or con someone”),^[3] a compound of 痴 ‎(oko, “a fool”) + 釣る ‎(tsuru, “to fish, to draw out”).^[3]

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA^(key): [ɰᵝa̠ka̠t͡sɯᵝɾi]

Noun

機 ‎(hiragana わかつり, romaji wakatsuri)

1. to manipulate (as in a device)
2. to manipulate (as in a person): to deceive, to take in someone
3. to get on someone's right side; to humor someone; to make an effort to please someone

References

1. 1 2 3 4 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9
2. 1 2 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, ISBN 978-4-14-011112-3
3. 1 2 3 4 5 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan

Korean

Hanja

機 • ‎(gi) (hangeul 기, McCune-Reischauer ki, Yale ki)

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Vietnamese

Han character

機 (cơ, ki)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.